City Council Opposes CLT Commission, Appoints Members Anyway

Four Charlotte residents have been appointed by the city council to serve on a commission formed to govern Charlotte Douglas International Airport. However, Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon was clear the council only made its appointments to "fulfill the letter of the law" which includes an October 1 deadline for appointing commission members.

In reality, the city hopes the commission will never have a role at the airport.

"Taking this action does not in any way address our larger challenge to the law and its constitutionality which the city will continue to vigorously pursue," says Cannon.

The City of Charlotte has obtained a court order preventing the commission from taking control of the airport until the Federal Aviation Administration gives it a green light. If that permission comes, the city has signaled its intent to further challenge the commission in court.

The airport commission consists of 13 appointees – four by the city council, three by the mayor of Charlotte and one each from Mecklenburg and five surrounding counties.

The city council's appointees are:

• Pamela Bennett, of Bank of America and a current member of the Airport Advisory Committee

• Anthony Fox, a Partner and attorney at Parker Poe and resident of the West Side

• Robert Stolz, former Chairman of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce and CEO of the Wurth Group North America, a business located near the airport